Over the past decade politicians and policy makers, the media, child development professionals, and parents have focused increasing attention on the after-school hours of children aged 6 to 14, coming to view this daily time period as one of unusual “risk and opportunity” (Hofferth 1995). Attention to the after-school hours has led in turn to renewed interest in a longstanding child development institution, after-school programs, particularly those serving low- and moderate-income children. This article examines the historical development of after-school programs serving low-income children, including objectives and practices in each era, formative influences, implementation challenges, and role in children's lives. In a final section. the author discusses the current pressures facing the after-school field and suggests an appropriate set of purposes and expectations for the coming years.
Children's out-of-school time, long a low-level source of public concern, has recently emerged as a major social issue. This, in turn, has heightened interest in the heterogeneous field of after-school programs. This article provides a profile of after-school programs for low-income children, focusing on supply and demand, program emphases, and program sponsors and support organizations. It also discusses the major challenges facing the field in the areas of facilities, staffing, and financing. Details and examples are drawn from the ongoing evaluation of a specific after-school program initiative called MOST (Making the Most of Out-of-School Time), which seeks to strengthen after-school programs in Boston, Chicago, and Seattle. Looking ahead, the article highlights the pros and cons of options for increasing coverage to reach more low-income children, strengthening programs, expanding funding, and articulating an appropriate role for after-school programs to fill in the lives of low-income children.
The relationship between poverty and child rearing has been a persistent source of social concern in the United States. Drawing on available literature, this paper seeks to establish a conceptual approach to the interaction of these two complex variables. Appropriate interventions and strategies for their implementation are considered.
Adults unquestionably have a critical role to play in supporting adolescent development; but how and why exactly are adults, or at least specific kinds of adults and adult roles, important to adolescents? What kinds of adult relationships are helpful to innercity adolescents in particular? These questions arose for the author recently as he embarked on a program of research with a Chicago youth initiative called AfterSchool Matters. This initiative organizes 10 to 20 week "apprenticeships" for Chicago high-school students in such areas as visual and performing arts, creative and professional writing, video and computer technology, sports instruction, and lifeguarding. Apprenticeships are led by instructors who have knowledge and skill in a specific craft or discipline, but typically lack professional preparation in-and sometimes any obvious disposition for-youth work. Yet, within limits created by the relatively short duration of the apprenticeships, many instructors appear on first glance to be effective and helpful in supporting participants ' development~Halpern, 2003b!.
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